This November members of the Texas A&M community who make donations during the MSC's Month of Giving will have the opportunity to impact the lives of people around the world in addition to impacting those who live here in Bryan/College Station. 

The month-long donation drive, coordinated by the MSC Leadership Development and Service Program Council (LD&S), will not only benefit several local and statewide organizations, such as the Twin City Mission and the Salvation Army, but will also send donated goods to United States troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as orphans and impoverished farm workers in Guatemala and Central America.

Each of the nine MSC program committees participating in the Month of Giving "selects a specific cause which promotes giving while furthering their mission," according to Lara Speights, vice president of LD&S.  A committee like MSC Freshmen Leadership International (FLI) has a global focus, so they've chosen a cause — collecting hats for a Guatemalan orphanage FLI members will visit — that fits their purpose. 

MSC LEAD, a leadership organization for sophomores, continues its highly successful Whoop! for Troops collection drive, sending care packages and cards abroad to Americans serving in combat zones overseas.  Speights says that these different causes means "a Month of Giving without boundaries that allows everyone to contribute to causes throughout our community, country and world." 

The MSC Month of Giving began in the fall of 2007 in an effort to coordinate the various week-long donation drives LD&S committees had been operating.  By coordinating these drives into one Month of Giving campaign, Speights notes that "this month allows them to extend their particular drive for longer with the support of the entire LD&S Program Council.  This widens our impact and increases the amount of goods we are able to collect to aide those in need."  She views the coordinated effort as being extremely successful and cites the high number of items collected since 2007 as proof of "the support that we have received from the community."

Speights estimates that 600 MSC student members will take part in the Month of Giving, which begins on Monday, October 26th and runs through Wednesday, Dec. 2.  In addition to collecting non-perishable snacks, books, magazines and toiletries for troops and hats and baseball caps, people are invited to donate toys for children ages 6 months to 17 years, children's books, blankets and coats, mp3 and portable music players, new and gently used clothing and school supplies.

Collection bins will be located on campus at four different locations:  the lobbies in Rudder Tower, the Wehner Building, and the Commons, and a bin will be stationed on Academic Plaza.  Music players should not be left in the bins and should instead be taken to the reception desk on the 2nd Floor of the Koldus Building, across the street from G. Rollie White Coliseum. 

Those who prefer to donate money, or have specific questions about how to donate, can e-mail mscmonthofgiving@gmail.com or call 979-845-1515 and ask to speak with someone from Month of Giving.  Information about the Month of Giving is also available at the MSC's web site at  http://www.msc.tamu.edu.